GK Questions

A MacGuffin is a term popularized by Alfred Hitchcock. It is an object, goal, or motivator that the characters care about, but the audience doesn't need to know the specifics of.

Aravind Adiga's 'The White Tiger' (2008) is structured as a letter/email written by the protagonist, Balram Halwai, to the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao over seven nights.

Historian Ramachandra Guha published 'India After Gandhi' in 2007. It provides a comprehensive history of India from its independence in 1947 to the modern era.

William Butler Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923 for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.

Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971. He is famous for his surrealistic and highly romantic poetry.

Formed in the 1930s, the Progressive Writers' Association aimed to use literature to highlight social inequalities and advocate for socialist ideals. Premchand and Mulk Raj Anand were key figures.

Chhayavad was a neo-romantic movement in Hindi literature (c. 1918-1938) characterized by themes of love, nature, and mysticism. The four pillars are Prasad, Nirala, Mahadevi Varma, and Jaishankar Prasad.

John Steinbeck published 'The Grapes of Wrath' in 1939. It highlights the harsh realities faced by migrant workers in California.

Stephen King is a prolific contemporary American author of horror, supernatural fiction, and fantasy. 'The Shining' was published in 1977.

The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (Immortals of Literature) is the highest literary honor in India, awarded for lifetime achievement, whereas the Akademi Award is for specific books.

The Neustadt Prize is sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, World Literature Today.

M.T. Vasudevan Nair wrote 'Randamoozham' in 1984. It won the Vayalar Award and is considered a masterpiece of modern Malayalam literature.

Fakir Mohan Senapati wrote 'Chha Maana Atha Guntha' in the late 19th century. It is a pioneering work of Indian realism and critiques feudal exploitation.

Elias Lönnrot compiled the Kalevala in the 19th century from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology. It played a crucial role in the Finnish national awakening.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The earliest Sumerian poems date back to the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2100 BC).

V.D. Savarkar wrote 'The Indian War of Independence' in 1909. It was one of the first works to describe the 1857 revolt as a coordinated national uprising rather than a mere sepoy mutiny.

Ram Prasad Bismil, a prominent Indian revolutionary, wrote this iconic poem. It became a rallying cry for freedom fighters during the Indian independence movement.

Brecht used the 'Verfremdungseffekt' (alienation effect) in his Epic Theatre to prevent the audience from losing themselves in the character and instead think critically about the social message.

Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' is a foundational text of the Theatre of the Absurd, highlighting the meaninglessness and existential dread of human existence.

The Prix Goncourt is a French literary prize, created in 1903, awarded to the author of 'the best and most imaginative prose work of the year'.